Kevin Spacey broke down into tears at a U.K. courtroom after a jury found him not guilty of nine charges relating to sexual assault and indecent assault, as well as causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity. The jury, consisting of nine men and three women, spent two days deciding the case after hearing the details over a four-and-a-half-week trial at Southwark Crown Court in London. After the jury read the verdict, Spacey addressed a crowd of media members outside.
“I imagine that many of you can understand that there’s a lot for me to process after what has just happened today. But I would like to say that I am enormously grateful to the jury for having taken the time to examine all of the evidence and all of the facts carefully before they reached the decision," Spacey told the media.
Kevin Spacey Addresses The Media
He continued: "And I am humbled by the outcome today. I also want to thank the staff inside this courthouse, the security and all those who took care of us every single day, my legal team … for being here every day and that’s all I have to say for the moment. Thank you very much.”
Throughout the trial, four different men who made the complaints against the actor spoke. The most serious complaint stemmed from a man who claimed to have regained consciousness in Spacey’s London apartment with the actor performing oral sex on him. Spacey argued the encounter was consensual. Had the jury found him guilty, the charge of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Kevin Spacey Thanks The Jury
The legal victory for Spacey comes after he won a $40 million civil lawsuit brought by actor Anthony Rapp, last October. Rapp previously accused Spacey of committing sexual battery against him in 1986.
[Via]